Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Reading through the 31 chapters of Proverbs each month can give us an understanding of how to serve God.

Proverbs 2:1-5 ESV

1 My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
2making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
3yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
4if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.

Mountain climbers know there is no easy route to the top. Distance runners know that the winner will have more than natural ability. Every winner knows that less than a full commitment to training, with the endurance and skills gained there, will not bring victory.

The writer of Proverbs in particular, and the Scriptures in general, never gild the lily. The necessity of commitment and effort to have the growth and all the benefits that come with spiritual improvement are stated with forceful clarity.

In chapter 2:1-5, there are three conditions stated to gain the knowledge of God. The Westminster Confession and the Catechism both state that the intent of the Scriptures is to know God and to know how to serve Him.

The first condition is in verses 1-2. It is to “receive” the word of God. This is a true and continual faith in the truth of God. Faith is a prerequisite to all that follows.

The second condition is in verse 3. It is direction to sincere prayer. The conditional “if” is the indication of a necessary condition. The desired result will not come unless the condition is completed.

The third condition is in verses 4-5. Again, this begins with a conditional “if”. What is gained through faith and prayer has a surpassing value. For miners seeking silver and for the treasure hunter, there is nothing more important than the object of the search. And it is only when this wisdom and knowledge which has God as its object and end becomes the controlling feature of your life is this condition fulfilled. John 17:3.
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.